October 23, 2008

Excitement Generates Excitement

I’ve been thinking A LOT lately about what marketing really is. Obviously it exists in multiple forms, after all, marketing is just the ultimate buzzword from which all other marketing buzzwords are derived. But it is also a very real phenomenon. Working with some of the smaller groups on campus has been opening my eyes to a lot of things in terms of momentum lately. I still haven’t read Tribes yet, but for some reason I get the feeling that the book will really coinside with what I’m seeing lately.

Here’s the basic premise of my thought process: people are cooperative creatures and to really generate momentum they need to get excited about something. You’ll find that near all marketing initiatives require getting excited about something enough to take action. The majority of times this means getting excited about a product or service, but it can mean a lot of other things too. Getting excited about a local marathon or creating public service are all marketing too.

The real momentum gets going when people are excited enough to do something and tell someone else about it. All of the stories match up and the value is really delivered. Ahh, the value chain: learn it, live it, love it. Anyway, this idea permeates through all aspects of society. People have to get excited about something before they spread the idea; critical mass is achieved.

Those are great concepts for the world, but how can we apply it intrinsically?

The answer is that we have to be excited about what we do and the things we market. I’m starting to think this is something smarter marketers have figured out eons ago and I’m just catching the trolley. In order to build momentum in the organization you work in (or for the cause you dedicate time to) you have to be excited and passionate about it. There’s no faking it either. The next important aspect of this idea is effort. I have to get back to studying tonight, so I’ll touch on this soon, but effort is absolutely critical as well.

A younger me was too self conscious to be effusive about the things I worked on. The older me understands that that excitement is as important as the actual work. Excitement begets excitement in others. Leading others and working Metcalfe’s Law in terms of human capital is crucial in our new marketing world. Oh brave new world, such that your beauty may never dim.

So what if you can’t get excited about what you are working on? Honestly?